Real Ones: Does w0rldtr33 match the hype?
w0rldtr33 #1,
James Tynion IV
Fernando Blanco
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w0rldtr33 #1 is the beginning of a new ongoing series from James Tynion IV, and as with any of them, it’s been hyped up a lot. The central story has to do with the Undernet, which is an evil cousin to the dark web. It was invented by a group of friends around Y2K, led by Gabriel. In a flashback we see that it should have been destroyed then, however, Gabriel kept it running on his own private server. He contacts his old friends to regroup to alert them of its re-emergence, and hopes to combat its spread, but as he admits, “It’s likely that it’s already too late to stop it.” Gabriel sees that the Undernet has returned when he sees a story on the news of a mass killing by a teenager, Gibson Lane, outside of Pittsburgh.
We are introduced to a character named Ph34r, who is striking in that not only is she nude, heavily tattooed and pierced, but is also seemingly, a cold-blooded killer. Having freshly murdered an older woman, she removes the laptop from her purse and logs in to Undernet, where there are multiple murders happening on live feeds. She clicks and we see her watching Gibson in real time, as he goes door-to-door murdering his neighbors. The scene is particularly disturbing and he’s using his phone to show them a glimpse of the Undernet to temporarily distract them, before each murder. Gibson is acting under the influence of the Undernet, of which Ph34r is seemingly a living vessel for.
Fernando Blanco’s artwork in this first scene is fantastic. When the victims look into the phone, the visual glitching effect is not unlike a technique used by Mitch Gerads in Mister Miracle. In the next scene, introducing Ellison, Gibson’s older brother, the artwork is significantly different (worse) than the one with Ph34r. The characters appear like a bad 80’s airbrush job. It’s jolting in the sense that we are taken from this crystal clear vision of the Undernet into reality, where life appears more mundane and crudely rendered. When this reality converges with the Undernet, as it does towards the end, we again see the world in the clarity of the opening scene.
I was impressed by the writing, as I usually am with new work by Tynion. Initially, I was really mixed on Blanco’s artwork, as the above mentioned scene was particularly off putting. However, his ability to embody these different spaces in reality, I have not seen before. All in all, worldt33 #1 was interesting. I wasn’t blown away to the degree that I was by other Tynion first issues, like Something Is Killing The Children, Department of Truth or Nice House on the Lake. However, I recommend checking it out based on its potential to evolve into a more interesting story.
Monarch #1
Rodney Barnes
Alex Lins
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Monarch is a new series from writer, Rodney Barnes, and artist, Alex Lins. The main character is a teenager named Travon, who lives in Compton. He lives in a happy foster home and has many of the normal issues that a teenager has. However, he’s caught in the middle of an alien invasion that’s destroying the world, and still, he has bigger problems. He’s got to navigate his way through his neighborhood and dodge a bully, named Zion. They have history together and Zion is not just out to steal Travon’s lunch money but to hurt him badly.
Pre-invasion, there’s a giant rainbow cloud floating over the Earth, and no one knows what it is. Travon enjoys a brief period of respite from Zion, with his girlfriend, at school, contemplating their place in the universe. A violent encounter with Zion escalates, and coincides with the beginning of the invasion. The kids in the school are no match for the alien blasts and ensuring mayhem, but Travon is a survivor. We see how he and his classmates and friends react and adapt to these dire circumstances.
This is a book about kids, but not for kids. It deals with big issues like mortality, right and wrong, the threat of real violence, and survival. Rodney Barnes expertly details how Travon navigates his real world problems with the otherworldly forces destroying his family and friends. I really enjoyed this unique science fiction story. Alex Lins’ artwork is fantastic at detailing life from a kid’s point of view. It’s the kickoff to what I think will be an excellent series and I’m looking forward to seeing how Travon perseveres through his real world and extraterrestrial problems.
Deep Cuts #1
Kyle Higgins
Joe Clark,
Danilo Beyruth
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Deep Cuts is a new anthology series from Image which covers the history of jazz, inspired by real events, written by Kyle Higgins and Joe Clark. Issue one takes place in New Orleans in 1917 and is titled “What It Means.” It beautifully details the musical ambitions of a kid named Charles, who, wandering the streets of New Orleans red-light district, follows the music into a chance encounter with local music hero, Jack Cartier.
When Charles plays along with Jack’s band through an open window, Jack is impressed enough with his ambition with his clarinet, that he gives him a shot at playing with him. However, Jack is not the most reliable mentor, and Charles soon learns the pitfalls of the music business. Jack invites him to a marching band gig. However, instead of getting to play with the band, Jack instead has Charles hold his cornet case. Eventually, Jack lines him up with his first real gig at a brothel with an older piano player, named Professor. Jack bestows Charles with the nickname, “Ace,” so that his church-going grandmother doesn’t find out about where he’s playing. While Ace doesn’t impress at his first gig, Professor is willing to give him a shot at playing nightly. In the process of playing at the brothel, Ace quickly makes a friend with one of the women working there, Dixie. She takes him under her wing and shows him some of the ins and outs of life.
The beautiful artwork by Danilo Beyruth details, in brilliant color, the era and Charles’ love of music. When Ace is playing his clarinet, we see the musical notes spring to life on the page. A beautiful two-page spread details the different paths that Jack and Charles are on. Jack is willing to do whatever it takes to get to the top, while Ace is rising organically through more humble means honing his craft. Ace soon realizes that Jack is taking money off the top from his nightly gig, and quickly sours on him. Meanwhile, Jack creates problems of his own, through his back-handed intentions of unseating his rival, Johnny Two-Fingers, at the top.
Deep Cuts is a brilliantly packaged, double-sized comic. It feels like an artifact of an earlier time, and like the music inside, is put together with love and care. The artwork and color are really breathtaking and the writing by Kyle Higgins and Joe Clark is equally impressive. This the first in a series of six different stories and it’s highly recommended and a real pleasure to read.
